This was a cute story! Mostly. There's a lot of mess in Izze's life and her journey to get it all figured out made me smile in some parts and cringe in others. She doesn't always make the best decisions, but then who does? (Certainly not me.) She was always willing to admit she was wrong once she discovered it and do all she could to correct the mistake. I really appreciated her ability to bounce back no matter how far she had fallen! And Miles, her "nemesis" turned love interest, added much depth to the story. Especially as we get to see his perspective every once in a while. He keeps Izze on her toes and causes her to take a look at her life and decide what she really wants.
Their chemistry is pretty great, right from the beginning. The attraction between them is more or less immediate, even if Izze refuses to acknowledge it. Then they proceed to drive each other crazy! :) Theirs is a bickering relationship, which means we get lots of back and forth between them as they discuss just about anything. I think they tend to be a bit too alike in thinking they're always right, so both have to swallow a few hard pills during the course of the book. Which is good for them! They have a lot of growing to do, and learning to really trust someone else. Vulnerability is never easy, so I could sympathize with their fears.
Yet I have to confess that there were a lot of times when the horrible things that Izze would say to Miles or how she would treat him made me wonder what he saw in her. He decides pretty quickly that he loves her and stays steady in that much of the rest of the story, which is very commendable! But I couldn't see what it was that he loved so much. She tends to be extremely dramatic in everything and there were several times I got annoyed. I wanted to like her because I knew she had high walls protecting her heart due to pain in her past, yet even as she spoke of growing and changing for the better, I could never actually see it. It felt more like she was telling me, but not showing me and I wanted so much more for her. My feelings never fully invested in her journey, there was always a slight detachment from the story, which disappointed me. One thing that I definitely loved about Izze though? Her love of books! That bit just made me very happy.
So! Bottom line for me is that I enjoyed the story overall but definitely struggled in liking Izze most of the time. It's a pretty quick and easy read though, with lots of sweet moments, which helped to alleviate my frustration somewhat. Plus I really liked the writing style Ms. Palmer used! So I'd like to try another book of hers, perhaps about some of those intriguing secondary characters. (Pretty please, Ms. Palmer? :)
**I received a complimentary copy via Singing Librarian Books. All opinions expressed are my own.
V. Joy Palmer is an avid blogger and is co-founder of Snack Time Devotions. She is a youth leader at her church, and loves acting crazy and drinking coffee with the teens. When Joy isn’t urging the elves that live in her computer to write, she’s hanging out with her husband, their adorable baby girl, and their two socially awkward cats. This is her debut novel.
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October 17--Bibliophile Reviews
October 18--Wishful Endings
October 19--Christian Bookaholic
October 20--Faithfully Bookish
October 21--Singing LIbrarian Books
October 22--Zerina Blossom's Books
October 24--Flowers of Quiet Happiness
October 25--A Holland Reads
October 26--Reading Is My SuperPower
October 27--Bookworm Mama
October 28--Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen
October 29--Red Headed Book Lady | Rachael's Reads
Their chemistry is pretty great, right from the beginning. The attraction between them is more or less immediate, even if Izze refuses to acknowledge it. Then they proceed to drive each other crazy! :) Theirs is a bickering relationship, which means we get lots of back and forth between them as they discuss just about anything. I think they tend to be a bit too alike in thinking they're always right, so both have to swallow a few hard pills during the course of the book. Which is good for them! They have a lot of growing to do, and learning to really trust someone else. Vulnerability is never easy, so I could sympathize with their fears.
Yet I have to confess that there were a lot of times when the horrible things that Izze would say to Miles or how she would treat him made me wonder what he saw in her. He decides pretty quickly that he loves her and stays steady in that much of the rest of the story, which is very commendable! But I couldn't see what it was that he loved so much. She tends to be extremely dramatic in everything and there were several times I got annoyed. I wanted to like her because I knew she had high walls protecting her heart due to pain in her past, yet even as she spoke of growing and changing for the better, I could never actually see it. It felt more like she was telling me, but not showing me and I wanted so much more for her. My feelings never fully invested in her journey, there was always a slight detachment from the story, which disappointed me. One thing that I definitely loved about Izze though? Her love of books! That bit just made me very happy.
So! Bottom line for me is that I enjoyed the story overall but definitely struggled in liking Izze most of the time. It's a pretty quick and easy read though, with lots of sweet moments, which helped to alleviate my frustration somewhat. Plus I really liked the writing style Ms. Palmer used! So I'd like to try another book of hers, perhaps about some of those intriguing secondary characters. (Pretty please, Ms. Palmer? :)
**I received a complimentary copy via Singing Librarian Books. All opinions expressed are my own.
About the Author
V. Joy Palmer is an avid blogger and is co-founder of Snack Time Devotions. She is a youth leader at her church, and loves acting crazy and drinking coffee with the teens. When Joy isn’t urging the elves that live in her computer to write, she’s hanging out with her husband, their adorable baby girl, and their two socially awkward cats. This is her debut novel.
Giveaway
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Tour Schedule
October 17--Bibliophile Reviews
October 18--Wishful Endings
October 19--Christian Bookaholic
October 20--Faithfully Bookish
October 21--Singing LIbrarian Books
October 22--Zerina Blossom's Books
October 24--Flowers of Quiet Happiness
October 25--A Holland Reads
October 26--Reading Is My SuperPower
October 27--Bookworm Mama
October 28--Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen
October 29--Red Headed Book Lady | Rachael's Reads
Thank you!
ReplyDeleteJoy: You're very welcome! :)
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